1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a video and audio reproduction apparatus and a method for reproduction of the video and audio, both able to change a playback speed for video and a playback speed for audio independently of each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video and audio are now recorded in various methods, giving users opportunities to reproduce various types of recorded content.
The time available for playing back the content is not always sufficient. This is why the video and audio reproduction apparatus may practically be operated in a mode, such as N-times playback mode, increasing the playback speed by a specific rate.
If the playback speed is so increased, however, the scenes played back may become clearly discontinuous. In some cases, the audio played back may not be as natural as desired.
In view of this, various video and audio reproduction methods have been proposed, in which a playback speed for video and a playback speed for audio are set to different values.
PCT International Publication WO 2006/082787 discloses a record reproduction apparatus and a record reproduction method. The apparatus comprises a speed determination unit, an audio playback speed changing unit, and a video playback speed changing unit. The speed determination unit determines two appropriate speeds of reproducing an audio signal and a video signal, respectively, from the characteristics of the audio and video signal, which an audio and video (AV) data analyzing unit has detected. The audio playback speed changing unit changes the speed of reproducing the audio signal to the appropriate audio signal reproduction speed determined by the speed determination unit. The video playback speed changing unit changes the speed of reproducing the video signal to the appropriate video signal playback speed determined by the speed determination unit.
The above-identified publication indeed discloses the technique of reproduce the video signal and audio signal of a recorded content, at different speeds higher than the normal speed. However, the publication describes neither a technique of linking the video signal and the audio signal in reproducing them independently nor any conditions for linking the video and audio signals.